On Friday night (28th), a 13-year-old Burmese boy was fatally shot by police in New York State after allegedly pointing a BB gun at officers during a foot chase.
According to the Associated Press, relatives said that Nyah Mway had just completed his middle school education on the previous Wednesday. His family moved to Utica, Central New York, around ten years ago as Burmese refugees.
Angry relatives and members of the local Burmese Karen immigrant community are struggling to understand the reasons behind his death. On Sunday, they called for justice for him and accountability for the police officers involved.
“We finally came to the United States for education, good jobs, and to live a peaceful life after decades of conflict and violence in Myanmar,” said Lay Htoo, who identified as Nyah’s cousin. The cousin expressed a desire to hold the police accountable and to see them imprisoned permanently. Currently, the officers involved are on paid administrative leave.
Details of the Incident
The shooting occurred last Friday night in Utica, an old industrial city that has seen thousands of refugees from various countries settle there in recent decades, bringing a sense of revival to the declining city. According to a nonprofit organization that helps resettle refugees, more than 4,200 of Utica’s 65,000 residents are from Myanmar.
According to police, Nyah and another 13-year-old boy were stopped on Friday night because they matched the description of suspects in an armed robbery that occurred in the same area on Thursday, and one of them was jaywalking at the time.
Body camera footage showed an officer saying he was going to search them for weapons. Then, one of the teenagers, identified as Nyah, ran away and appeared to point a black object at the police while turning back.
Police stated that the officers believed it was a handgun, but it was later determined to be a BB or pellet gun, which closely resembled a Glock 17 Gen5 handgun with a removable magazine. A photo released by the police showed that the device did not have an orange tip on its barrel, which many BB gun manufacturers have added in recent years to distinguish their products from firearms.
Body camera footage showed Officer Bryce Patterson catching up to Nyah, tackling, and hitting him. As they struggled on the ground, Officer Patrick Husnay shot Nyah. Utica Police Chief Mark Williams said at a Saturday press conference that one shot hit Nyah in the chest.
A bystander video posted on Facebook also shows an officer tackling the teenager and hitting him with his fists. After two other officers arrived, a gunshot is heard as the teenager lay on the ground.
Under New York law, the Attorney General’s office will investigate every incident of death caused by law enforcement officers. The police department’s own investigation will examine whether the officers adhered to policy and training.
Williams called the shooting “a tragedy and traumatic event for all involved” and stated that his department released the information and body camera footage to fulfill their “commitment to transparency.”
However, to Nyah’s cousin Isabella Moo, the police account seemed like an attempt “to further criminalize him and protect the officers.”
“This should not have escalated. Our police need better or different training,” she said in a phone interview. “The city needs to take responsibility. This should not happen to any child.”
Lay Htoo said Nyah’s family fled Myanmar to Thailand about 20 years ago. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and then immigrated to the United States about nine years ago through a resettlement program. His father works in a convenience store.
Htoo added that besides taking care of his younger siblings, Nyah was passionate about math, soccer, and spending time with friends. He was interested in studying and sometimes attended Bible studies with friends, even though his family is Buddhist.
On the night of the incident, Nyah reportedly told his mother that he was going to the store to buy something. That was the last time she saw him. Since then, his mother has not slept except for brief ten-minute naps, waking up each time in tears.
Stay tuned for more updates on the latest website.
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